Even in the midst of a down year, Blake Griffin had a lot of suitors when he hit free agency. The Los Angeles Lakers are the defending champions and they were among the teams vying for Griffin’s services. He ended up picking the Brooklyn Nets in the end, which should give him a strong chance at a championship.
Griffin wanted to play with a contender but the Lakers may have given him his best shot at a title. In an interview with Bleacher Report, the former All-Star explained why he picked Brooklyn over Los Angeles.
“They have a need for a 4-man. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Steve Nash and all of the guys they have,” Griffin said, via Nets Daily. “Sean Marks has done a great job there. It was a tough decision and I wanted to be on a team that was contending.”
Brooklyn probably does make more sense for Griffin if he’s hoping to play. He’d likely get a ton of playing time with the Lakers right now, but once Anthony Davis returns, he would’ve seen his role lessen. Los Angeles really didn’t have a need for a power forward so they shouldn’t be beating themselves up for not landing Griffin.
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Anthony Davis Is 1 of Griffin’s Favorite Players to Face
With Griffin’s decision to not return to Los Angeles, he will probably be seeing more playing time with the Nets. For a while, he was one of the best power forwards in the game. In Brooklyn, it’s likely that he’ll play small ball center quite a bit. However, it sounds like he’s expecting to still be playing at the four. He was asked who he likes to play against and named two of the league’s best power forwards.
“The best in my position – Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and [Anthony Davis]. It’s always a challenge so those guys are the most fun,” Griffin said.
If the Nets are as good as they look on paper, Griffin will have a chance to face both Giannis and Davis in the postseason. Considering those two are in the prime of their careers, Griffin shouldn’t be too eager to play against them.
Lakers Better off Without Griffin
The Lakers even having an interest in Griffin was always kind of strange. He doesn’t fix their lack of size at center and he doesn’t fix their 3-point shooting issues. Sure, he’s still a solid player but it’s hard to see how he’d help Los Angeles.
If the Lakers are going to make a move, they need to add a shooter and/or a center. The team already has Davis, who is one of the top-two power forwards in the game, and Kyle Kuzma is a very capable backup. Adding Griffin to the mix could’ve done more harm than good. The Lakers can now go back to trying to find solutions to legitimate problems.
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Blake Griffin Sounds off on Decision to Join Nets Over Lakers